


Beyond the Clouds We Rise

by cityoflights



Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: AU, Arranged Marriage, Game of Thrones AU, Harry is a knight, Homophobia, M/M, Medieval AU, Rating may go up, Slow Burn, james is a prince, mac is an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cityoflights/pseuds/cityoflights
Summary: Game of Thrones AU.  Mac Nightingale has been the tyrannical ruler of Westeros for ten years now, and not only is his people suffering but also his son and heir to the throne, James Nightingale. James feels he has had his only chance of happiness robbed from him, but when he meets brave night Ser Harry at a tournament, he slowly learns again what it means to love and live. However forces bigger than them threaten to disrupt their happiness, and they may be over before they have even begun - and it doesn't help that Harry is betrothed to another.





	Beyond the Clouds We Rise

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This fic is supposed to be the Hollyoaks characters in a Game of Thrones setting, and the storyline draws on elements from both. Leave kudos/likes if you enjoy :)

As Lord James Nightingale entered the room to commence the small council meeting he felt, not for the first time, a large weight upon his shoulders. His Father Mac, King of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, would obviously not be in attendance - anything to avoid seeing James - and so once again it was on James’ head as the Hand of the King to ensure that this meeting went without a hitch. This was the first meeting since Mac’s coronation that all members of the great council were in attendance, bar his father of course, and with good reason. Mac had requested (or more accurately demanded, such was his nature) that a tourney be organised in order to celebrate his ten years on the Iron Throne. Looking around the room, it was evident to James that none of the men wanted to be there, particularly Lord Sami Maalik of Dorne who had a particular dislike of the Nightingales ever since his father’s execution at the hands of Mac Nightingale at the start of his reign. James in return was jealous of Sami, who had been awarded the title Master of Law by Mac. James had always had a keen interest in the law and read countless books on history of the law of Westeros as a young boy, however Mac was adamant in the fact that James should become Hand of the King because despite his hatred of James, Mac seemed certain that his son was the one man who would never betray him. James used to be sure of the same thing. James mad extra sure to keep a close eye on Maalik in particular, as he was currently betrothed to his younger sister.

 

James sat down at the large table, with the other men following suit. After giving an apologetic glance up to the other men who would clearly rather be anywhere else but here, James commenced the session. “As you are all well aware, my Father has requested a tourney be held in a fortnight, followed by a celebratory meal in order to celebrate the ten years since his ascension to the throne.”

“Ascension? More like usurpation” muttered Lord Darren of house Osborne under his breath. James didn’t bother to respond even as the jest was met with numerous murmurs of agreement, since he knew the comment was based in truth.

“The king has asked that it be the biggest celebration in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. Lord Tony, I am informed that house Hutchinson will kindly be providing us with 200,000 golden dragons to fund the event?”

“That we are, sir. My son Harry will also be participating in the jousting events. He has blossomed into quite the capable knight these last few years. Reckon he could even give me a run for my money.” came the reply from the Lord of Highgarden, the only man in the room with a smile on his face. Despite Tony’s insolence and blind optimism, James quite liked the man in a way he had never grown to like his own father.

“Thank you, Tony. Lord Sylvester, the Queen in the North will also be providing funds and knights?”

“That’s right” responded the kindly knight. Ser Sylver had always been much too docile in nature and large in frame to be a knight, in James’ opinion. Then again, being married to a woman as shrill and dominating as the Queen in the North, Mercedes McQueen, must leave any man feeling rather demasculinized. House McQueen was unique in that only women were allowed to inherit the Northern crown and James, being the anti-traditionalist he was, would not take issue with this in most circumstances, however the McQueen women were all particularly unbearable and loud, most of all Mercedes herself. “I myself will be competing, along with the twins, Ser Prince and Ser Hunter. The McQueens will also be giving 70,000 golden dragons to fund the event”. James thanked the giant-man and spent the next two hours in discussion with the other members of the council.

 

Lord Liam Donovan of the Stormlands was taxed with the task of raising 50,000 additional golden dragons. James normally wouldn’t trust the man with the smallest of responsibilities, and why Mac appointed this half-man half-rat as Master of Coin James had no idea. The Donovan house was notorious for its illegal and dangerous activities, with Liam both dealing many illegal drugs in the kingdom as well as having monopoly over half the brothels in King’s Landing. As well as this his sister Grace was said to have killed up to hundreds of people who had threatened to expose the family’s secrets, and she herself took money from the drug tradings. The only member of the family who wasn’t universally feared was the youngest sibling, Jesse, who wouldn’t harm a fly simply due to the fact that he was too simple to figure out how to. Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, and if Mac’s tourney wasn’t as extravagant as he expected it to be then James’ neck would be on the line, quite literally. As much as it pained James to look into Liam’s beady little eyes and ask him of the favour, it had to be done. The Master of Coin smiled that sickening smirk of his and agreed, although James knew this would come back to bite him later.

 

Grand Maester Jack Osborne was seated next to his son, looking more lively and youthful than Mac ever did despite being many years his senior, James observed with irony. Jack ensured his daughter in law Nancy Osborne would provide entertainment for the women and children who tended to get rather bored at these tournaments, or even upset at the violence. Additionally, Ste of house Lomax guaranteed as the Master of Ships the most exotic fruits and spices and expensive metals for armor would be transported from various towns in Essos. 

“Thank you, Ste.” replied James icily. The Lomax house was always slightly too common for James’ taste, and Ste in particular was notorious for being a weak boned leader. Nevertheless, politeness was required at meetings like these to keep the peace between houses.  “And congratulations on your betrothal to the young Hutchinson boy. I’m sure the marriage will strengthen the bonds between house Hutchinson and house Lomax even more than it had been previously”. It was the senior Hutchinson who replied to this, in that sincerely heartfelt way of his.

“Why, thank you, James. This tournament is an excellent opportunity for Harry and Ste to meet each other properly. I’m sure the last time they saw each other was when Harry was still a wee bastard in his crib! I’ll never forget the look on his face the day I told him I was going to legitimise him, though. The way his face lit up just like mine, I knew in that moment he was a Hutchinson” responded Tony, laughing heartily while Ste smiled along with him. James has started to grow bored of these pleasantries and talk of men he had never men, and wrapped up the meeting swiftly.

“Well whilst I’m sure we’d all be delighted to hear about the upcoming Hutchinson-Lomax wedding, I think it’s time we should finish the meeting here. I am aware most of you will now be staying at King’s Landing with your families until the date of your tournament, so I expect to see all of you at the next meeting. Apart from you, Lord Hutchinson. I know you will be returning to Highgarden for supplies for the tournament and to spend some time with your family.” James stood up and started his way out of the meeting room, followed by the other members of the Small Council.

 

That night dinner at the Red Keep was an unusually happy affair, most notably because Mac was out hunting with the poor Osborne’s who were forced to indulge in his company, leaving James to eat supper in peace with his Mother, Lady Marnie, along with his younger siblings, Ellie and Alfie. As James gazed across the table at his Mother he noticed not for the first time that, despite the fine garments and layers of makeup she applied to her face to hide the imperfections, her eyes conveyed a sadness that made her appear older than her age. He supposed that that’s what 32 years of being married to Mac Nightingale will do to a woman, yet the last ten years in particular had taken a toll on Marnie. Along with constantly being under the public scrutinisation and the inescapable gossip of her husband’s usurpation, Mac himself had become much more volatile ever since his name day. James, with his years of political experience, could see from a mile off that Mac’s position wasn’t nearly as secure as he thought it was, mainly due to him being one of the most loathed kings in the history of Westeros. Of course, James didn’t mind if Mac was being hung from the barricades by his toenails, however he knew that his Mother and siblings would be forced to live as outcasts forever if Mac was overthrown, if not killed straight away. This wasn’t just a theory either, as the son of the previous king, Patrick Blake, had been killed by Mac’s men in the uprising, meanwhile the son’s twin sister disappeared with her six year old daughter, and now both were presumed dead. 

 

The atmosphere in the dining room was almost one of relaxation, as Ellie chattered excitedly about her betrothal to Lord Sami Maalik. Despite the rivalry between James and Sami, James could see that Sami’s feelings for Ellie were genuine, and so he felt pleased for his younger sister. That night he tried to make the most of his Father’s absence, however thoughts of the tourney and his past clouded his mind particularly that night. After the meal James felt a little woozy after indulging himself in four glasses of wine, and so he excused himself early to go to his bed. On his way up the staircase his Mother caught him by the arm and talked in a hushed voice, “James, is everything alright darling? Only, you seem to have an awful lot on your mind at the moment. Please don’t keep everything bottled inside, you know from experience that only causes the negative feelings to grow. Just look at your Father, for example”. James detested his Mother for babying him like this. Even though her words were encouraging, James knew ever since he was a child that he could never truly tell Marnie his problems; Mac’s beatings and bullying changed something in James, and he had built up walls that at this point nobody, not even his Mother, could tear down. She smiled kindly, a Mother’s concern in her eyes. “Remember the Nightingale motto? ‘Beyond the clouds we rise’”. She pointed up to the Nightingale house sigil, a painting of a nightingale bird mid-flight, with blue and silver decorating the background like a summer sky. “And rise you shall, my strong Nightingale”. For a moment James felt like he truly could share everything with her, all the trauma he had grown accustomed to over the years and all the nights he spent crying in his bed, asking the Lord of Light why He had made him in a way that made his Father hate him. But the moment was gone in an instant and he regained composure; any sentimentalism was once again thrown out the window.

“Nothing is wrong, Mother. I just fear that if I drink any more wine then my brain will simply deteriorate. Goodnight.” he excused himself once more, kissing her lightly on the cheek before carrying on further upstairs, the weight inside his heart feeling heavier than before.


End file.
